News from the Library, by E-mail and RSS

If you have ever given the Library your e-mail address, like this newsletter editor did when he signed up for a Palo Alto Library card, you have probably noticed that they are sending you one to a few e-mails per month.

The Library would like you to know that this is Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Month, and probably some other things because they post more often to their blog than we send out this newsletter. You can subscribe to their blog with an RSS reader.

And if like yr hmbl newsletter editor you have not been paying attention and are wondering what is open and how much the Library has a Current Library Services page.

-Frank McConnell

 
What's special for May!

Grab a May escape into the Science Fiction section this month! Sci-Fi had a higher-than-normal volume of comic books donated from one collector and in plastic sleeves. For more Sci-Fi books, fantasy, comics, graphic novels, and manga, look for full shelves in the Main and Bargain Rooms. The Art section continues to offer excellent books in every subsection: history, fine art, and studio art.... Our Art book-loving donors were generous this May with a beautiful donation of nearly new Architecture books. You will recognize these by their clear dust jackets.

This month's sale will be amazing in the Children's Room! It is bursting with bargain books, games, puzzles, and toys. Late last month FOPAL received a huge donation from a retiring teacher, all in nearly new condition! Now is the time to grab your children's Spring/Summer reads.

FOPAL is celebrating Mother's Day with books on or about women; we are calling Gender She/Her. Look for inspiring and informative books on the many aspects of feminism. The Gender She/Her special books will be in the last special bay. The Medicine special is again one of our monthly featured specials. Last month and this month we received dozens of books from Stanford University Library spanning several subsections; health policies, ethics, inequality in Medicine, and health management. Look for last month's offering this weekend plus...in the first two bookshelves in the special sections.

-Janette Herceg

 
FOPAL's Music CD Spring Pop-Up special sale this Saturday, 10am-3pm!

Long-time volunteers John and Frank have been amassing CDs for years and with the help of newish volunteers George, and Fred created an outstanding spring special that will be located outside the Main Room. This assortment of Music CDs was processed from the backlog, mostly popular tiles and artists! Look for thousands of Music CDs, all priced to sell!

-Janette Herceg

 
Science Fiction & Fantasy

In Science Fiction, I've got a shelf full of Gardner Dozois' The Year's Best Science Fiction anthologies. In Fantasy, find N. K. Jemisin's collection, How Long 'til Black Future Month?

Shelf pictures on fopalbooks.com.

-Rich McAllister

 
Comics

In Comics, there are yet more boxes of comic magazines. These are mostly X-Men titles from the 1990s and 2000s, with a few Spider-Man and Avengers related. Bagged and boarded, in Fine condition or better, $1 each. Last month's batch nearly sold out so come early. Also in Comics an extremely heavy two-volume slipcased set of The Complete Far Side by Gary Larson, and a signed copy of Mariane Satrapi's Persepolis. No Manga this month since the comics pushed them off the shelves, they'll return soon.

Shelf pictures on fopalbooks.com, at the bottom of Science Fiction's page.

-Rich McAllister

 
Art

We will have a special art books sale for the art books from big art publishers, i.e. Phaidon, Abrams, Taschen etc. Click here to view the books on instagram.

Another highlight will be more than 10 booklets/pamphlets displayed at the top shelf above the sculpture section. View books here.

-Fiona Wang

 
Children's Room

Looking for giftable picture books? You'll be thrilled with our offerings this month. A generous donor (and connoisseur of children's literature) sent many boxes our way-and most of the books in them are like new. Check out our Giftables shelves, where you're sure to find favorites old and new, and our Picture Book bins and boxes. Buy ahead for birthdays, holidays, and summer reads.

Our School-age Fiction section is full, as usual, including some beautiful sets of the Little House books and the Narnia series, along with giftable classics like 21 Balloons, Peter Pan, Watership Down, and Poetry from Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood. This is also the Month of Judy Blume, with a recent documentary and a just-released four-star movie, "Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret." We have a copy of that book and many, many other books by Judy Blume.

Our Activities sections are bursting: games galore including card games, board games, quiet games, and noisy games. There are some interesting jigsaw puzzles, lots of joke books, building sets, math materials, a Xyloba marble run that makes music(!), and a large train roundhouse suitable for Thomas the Tank Engine. The graphic novels shelves are loaded with favorites and new titles including like-new Wings of Fire, volumes 1-4, many pristine Garfield books, and a hard-cover edition of Philip Pullman's Adventures of John Blake.

In World Languages, look for a large selection of traditional and simplified Chinese picture books, manga, and many excellent parenting books in Chinese.

-Carolyn Davidson

 
Children's Vintage

Little kids have a treat in store this month in children's vintage - an entire display of Tana Hoban picture books. Her photography highlights simple concepts like over/under/through and circles/triangles/squares. Her photography has won dozens of gold medals and other prizes, she has photographs in the permanent collection in the Museum of Modern Art, and her books have received critical acclaim. One or more of these gems can go home with you this month!

In addition to the usual fare of fine vintage books, big kids also have a couple of different collections of books to look forward to. Early Bobbsey Twins fans will appreciate the 18-volumes that are in dust jackets protected by mylar. Narnia aficionados may want to pick up the 7-volume (also dust jacketed) Narnia series. Both of these can be previewed at the FOPAL shelf pictures link www.fopalbooks.com. And Captain Marryat's books are still available from last month (at half price!) Marryat was a noted early writer of nautical fiction, a Royal Navy officer and an acquaintance of Dickens. He is also remembered for a widely used system of naval flag signalling known as Marryat's code. So grab a book or two and break out the sea shantys and rum!

-Lisa Heitman

 
Medicine

Be sure to visit our collection of Cardiology, Pediatric and Internal Medicine texts, and generous supply of Dorlands and Stedmans Medical Dictionaries and Merck Manuals.

Browse through the Vintage Medical and Nursing Section, including Notes on Nursing by Florence Nightengale, and medical books from the 1800s.

The Nazi Doctors and the Nuremberg Code describes human rights and the important ten points of the Nuremberg Code in detail, and Healing Journeys, Teaching Medicine and Nurturing Hope highlights the inspiring Stanford Medical Youth Science Program.

-Pamela Parke

 
Health

The Health shelves are full of interesting reading for this month. The Asian Medicine section has acquired three books by Koichi Tohei on the practice of Ki. Plus, Asian Health Secrets: the Complete Guide to Asian Herbal Medicine, has been added.

Beth Macy's book, Dopesick, is another recounting of the opioid crisis. Sweet Deception by Dr. Joseph Mercola, explores why artificial sweeteners could be detrimental to your health, plus how federal regulations frequently confuse the public. Please look for A Matter of Life, by Robert Edwards and Patrick Steptoe; the doctors who brought the first 'test-tube baby' into being. Indulge in our offerings!

-Suzanne Cholko

 
Poetry

O the month of May, the merry month of May!
It's time to find some poems
That will take you far away.
Out to the bush, to be exact,
Australian poetry, in fact.
To these rhymes you can relate,
And so I give you G'day Mate.

Photos can be found at www.fopalbooks.com.

-Mandy MacCalla

 
Education & Language

Special set available in May: Anthony Alfonso's Japanese Language Patterns (1966), a two-volume set at $15. Also in this section: theories of education, language and linguistics; reading and libraries; writing, grammar and syntax; ESL and sign language; K-12, and post-secondary education; plus teaching and education administration.

See photos at www.fopalbooks.com.

-Virginia Perry

 
Home & Crafts

For May, the Home section showcases fashion and beauty, including Latina Beauty, and features wedding planning from Martha Stewart to The Knot, as well as wedding vows and wedding receptions. You'll also find fashion designers and fashion tips. Other shelves include home decorating styles and interior design concepts. Building and remodeling titles are available, along with home organizing ideas.

This month the Crafts shelves offer: floral arts and crafts; The Joy of Origami and The Complete Book of Papercraft; jewelry making and picture framing; many needlepoint titles, multiple quilting guides, plus sewing, embroidering, and knitting.

Don't miss the Home & Crafts Red Cart. This month's values include: fabric arts and crafts guides; home design and decorating; plus home improvement, repair, and maintenance.

Photos can be found at www.fopalbooks.com.

-Virginia Perry

 
Antiques & Collections

Among the May offerings in Antiques & Collections: Rugs, furniture, and fireplaces; gold and jewelry; plus teddy bears, precious dolls, and antique toys.

In addition: The Great American Paperback, is an oversized visual history of the emergence of this book publishing format. Beautifully designed, it's a great reference to have in your book collection.

Photo can be found at www.fopalbooks.com.

-Virginia Perry

 
Curious Books

The May display for Curious Books highlights Change, primarily in its forms of Beginning and Ending. There is gentle, chosen change, as in The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up. There is unsought change such as Hurricane Katrina and Zeitoun. You will have plenty to explore in our unlikely offerings, with featured books of exploration, learning, and amusement.

-Donya W.

 
Computers

We have a mass of Cisco test prep books, and an assortment of ACM and other scholarly publications.

(More photos of Computers section at www.fopalbooks.com.)

-David Cortesi

 
Nature

This month the Nature section has a large variety of dog training books and many wonderful summer reading selections.

-Michele K.

 
Judaica

Browse the Judaica section for books on the Jewish religion and culture including editions of the Torah and other basic texts, Kabbalah, Jewish history, the Holocaust, memoirs, Israel, Jewish Women, the Jewish American Experience and other related subjects.

New this month - John Lennon and the Jews: A Philosophical Rampage; Einstein and the Rabbi: Searching for the Soul; The Peace and Violence of Judaism: From the Bible to Modern Zionism; Into the Forest: A Holocaust Story of Survival, Triumph, and Love; Our Story: The Jews Of Sepharad, You Are The Historian and two additional volumes in this set; Ecology & the Jewish Spirit: Where Nature & the Sacred Meet.

Most fiction with Jewish themes will be found in Modern Literature/Classics or Current Fiction. Books entirely in Hebrew are shelved in the European Languages section.

-Charlotte Epstein

 
Religion

New Interpreter's Bible - 1997 - fine set of 12 with good dust jackets. $149.
Jeffrey Stout, Democracy & Tradition.
Francis Clooney, Comparative Theology.
John Draper, Conflict Between Religion and Society.

-Nancy Cohen

 
History

This month History received a large collection of books on Nicaragua and other parts of Central America. We also have a new donation of books on ancient Greece and Rome, including translations of works by Plutarch, Livy, Suetonius, and Tacitus. The Afro-American section has a couple of copies of Blight's Pulitzer-prize winning biography of Frederick Douglass. If you're looking for older books, we have a complete set of von Rotteck's General History of the World from the Earliest Times to the Year 1837, in what appears to be the first American edition of 1841. And as usual, there is a large selection of books on general American history, ranging from scholarly to popular.

-Lin McAllister

 
Self Help

Spring is a time when plants grow and blossom. Self Help (or Personal Growth) is here to help you do the same!

This month there are 4 FULL shelves of 'New Arrivals', many I've never seen before. Check out the 'Popular on Amazon' shelves; these books usually sell very well! Featured books include: Saving Time; The Light We Carry; The Power of One More; Daily Stoic; How to do Nothing; The Gift of Gratitude; Self-Parenting; My Life is Out of Whack; The Joy of Obstacles. And of course there are the usual subsections (the two far right bays) which this month include sections for: 'Marked Down', 'Face/Body Reading', 'NLP/Hypnosis' and 'Rape/Trauma'. And don't forget the Red Cart! So SPRING on over to my section and ENJOY picking out books at a Great Price--

-Marnie

 
Mysteries

There are over 150 Agatha Christie books for sale just as you enter the sale on the right hand side book shelf.

-Cathy Swan

 
Donations

We have made it past Drop-off Donations 3.0 and have returned to accepting donations without the need to make an appointment.

HOWEVER....

We are closed for donations from Sunday May 7 through Sunday May 14 to prepare the Main Room for this weekend's sale. Please hold your donations until Monday May 15.

Please read our donation guidelines before you bring materials to us.

All that said, our normal hours for drop-off donations are Monday through Saturday, 3pm-5pm. (But not the week before the sale.)

 
Suggestions?

We're always eager to hear your suggestions for ways to improve our book sale. Please email us at suggestions@friendspaloaltolib.org.